The owners of a family-run cider maker staged a showcase event for local farmers this week to highlight the commercial prospects of growing cider orchards.

Owners Annette and Richard Hunt said they wanted to show local landowners and farmers that apple orchards can be a sustainable and profitable investment.

The cider maker, which has been in existence since 1805, owns about 400 acres of commercial land, but is keen to expand and increase its share of the market.

Director Richard Hunt (third from left) hopes to expand the business by boosting its network of local cider orchard growers
Director Richard Hunt (third from left) hopes to expand the business by boosting its network of local cider orchard growers (Richard Torné)

Mr Hunt said he was encouraged by the response to the event, held in Broadleigh Farm Park, near Totnes, which attracted about 30 people, stressing that the company’s ambition was to expand within the county.

“We’d like to double in size over the next five years, but we want to be a good local company. We don’t want to be like Thatchers or Bulmers,” he said, alluding to their size and export footprint.

In comparison, Hunt Cider sells its product mostly within South Devon, pressing about 200-250 tonnes of apples a year and producing about one million pints of cider annually.

The company is hoping to bottle its produce in-house from early next year, which will further reduce transportation and bottling costs.

Hunts Cider director Annette Hunt: "We like to keep with our traditional Devon roots"
Hunts Cider director Annette Hunt: "We like to keep with our traditional Devon roots" (Richard Torné)

Sister Annette said her interest in the company dates back to memories of her grandfather, who instilled the company’s values in the family.

“My grandad always said to my dad ‘you've got to keep it going, because one of the grandchildren might want it one day’, and it's what definitely allowed me to come home to the business.

“Rich and I both spent 10 years away. I studied food production and marketing, doing a lot in the food industry, but I always had this desire to come home.”

Asked about the company’s image, she said: “We like to keep with our traditional Devon roots and give it a bit of a fun, quirky angle - that's what attracts people to our brand. For us, it's just about getting a hand-crafted product to more people.”

It was explained during the presentation that it can take about five years to see a return on the investment, showing that long-term planning and commitment are a must if an apple grower hopes to succeed.

According to figures from the National Association of Cider Makers (NACM), the UK cider market is estimated to be worth more than £3 billion. It also employs more than 11,500 people and some 300 farmers.

However, the sector has experienced head winds in recent years, due to Covid and rising energy costs.

The NACM has also warned that the autumn budget “will negatively impact the industry for years to come”, citing rises in alcohol duty for bottled and canned ciders from February next year.

To mitigate the impact, excise duty on draught ciders will be reduced by 1.7 per cent to better support pubs, although packaged ciders still account for most of the sales.